Roller reefer



NOV.. 15, 1966 J, T, POTTER 3,285,215

ROLLER REEFER Filed Deo. 3l, 1964 PE1-1- M TEF; X44

ATTO R N EY @ya a. 6%

United States Patent O 3,285,215 ROLLER REEFER .lohn 'I'. Potter, 151 Sunnyside Blvd., Plainview, N.Y. Filed Dec. 31, 1964, Ser. No. 422,640 7 Claims. (Cl. 114-102) This invention, generally, relates to sail boats and, more particularly, relates to an improved sail rig in which the sail plan can Ibe modilied by reeling the sail on a rotatable boom.

The need for variation of the sail plan area to accommodate various wind conditions is known. Perhaps the oldest and best tested arrangement for shortening sail is the provision of rows of reeling lines sewed into the sail. The full sail area is designed for light Wind and, as the wind increases, the sail is dropped by increments, being secured to the boom by tying the reef lines around the boom.

The use of sail boats has changed, however, and it has been found necessary to provide reeling arrangements which be utilized more rapidly, provide more flexibility of adjustment to wind conditions, and can be operated singlehanded.

Several arrangements have been proposed with such ends in mind. For example, rotatably mounted masts have been provided. To shorten sail, the mast is rotated and the sail is wound on the mast, decreasing the effective sail area. Journalling the mast to withstand the forces involved while still permitting rotation is diliicult. Further, reeling in this manner changes the aerodynamic response of the sail plan.

Reeling on a rotatable mounted boom has also lbeen proposed. However, with conventional sail plan arrangements, it has been found that as the sail is reefed, there is considera-ble variation in the direction of forces applied to the sail, caused by uneven lay of the sail on the boom, which similarly distorts the desired airfoil characteristics of the sail.

It is, therefore, one object of the present invention to provide improved rigging for sail boats to enable roller reeling of the sail on a rotatable boom.

It is another object of this invention to provide an irnproved roller reeling rigging arrangement to permit shortening sail by rotation of a rotatably mounted boom without sail bunching during such reeling.

In accordance with these objects, there is provided in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a generally vertical mast to which is swingably coupled a substantially horizontal rotatable boom. The sail is secured to the boom at the tack and clew permitting the sail to take its aerodynamically determined shape, although if the sail design or forces dictate, the sail may 'be coupled to the boom along the entire foot.

The mast is provided with an aft-facing track extending substantially the entire height of the mast. The track is formed by parallel, spaced apart, rounded flanges. The flanges extend from the mast in encircling conliguration to define a generally cylindrical channel terminating with a narrow slot opening between the ends of the flanges.

A rod is deflectably suspended from the top of the track to hang within the channel for substantially the length thereof.

The sail plan is modified for use with such improved rigging. For example, with a Marconi sail plan, the foot and leach of the sail are completed with bolt-ropes sewed therein in conventional manner. However, the lull of the sail is provided with ya sleeve extending the length thereof formed by doubling over the sail material along the lull and sewing the edge of the doubled over material to the sail proper.

To raise the sail, the sleeve is inserted within the chan- ICC nel in encircling engagement over a rod suspended therein. The sail then is raised by a lifting halyard. The sail passes through the slot between the edges of the flanges but the lulf is securely held to the mast since the sleeve and rod cannot pass through the slot between the ends of the flange.

The halyard for raising the sail rnay run through a sheave at the mast head. However, it is preferable to provide a hollow cylindrical mast with a pulley at the head so that the halyard may run down through the center of the mast, passing over a pulley at the top. A cover shields against entry of rain and the like.

To reef the sail, the halyard is slacked olf and the boom rotated. As the boom rotates to take up the foot of the sail, the sail travels down the track on the mast, and the sleeve slides olf the rod at the bottom so that the sail may be wound on the roller reeling boomV smoothly. Since bolt-ropes are absent from the lulf, sail lays smoothly on the boom. By this arrangement, the normal airfoil of the sail is not disturbed, and there is no tendency to exert forces on the ybias to pull the sail out of its design shape.

If the rig arrangement permits, it is desirable to support the outer end lof the roller reeling boom with either a boom crutch or a topping lift extending to the top of the mast, there-by to support the boom in a lixed vertical plane with respect to the mast.

Having brielly described the invention, it will be described in greater detail in the following detailed description of a presently preferred form, which may best be understood by reference to the accompanying ligures, in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevation View of a sail boat utilizing the -sail plan of the Apresent invention showing the sail in a partially reefed orientation;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the sail plan shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view, partly in section, of the top of the mast shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view tak-en along lines 4 4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of the foot of the mast shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a cross section view lshowing an alternative Vrod supporting arrangement; and

FIG. 7 shows yet another alternative version of the rod support in the mast illustrated in FIG. 1.

In FIGS. 1-5, there is shown a sail boat 10 employing the sail and rigging arrangement of the present invention. Although the Marconi rig has been illustrated, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention may be utilized with other types of sail rig.

The mast 12 preferably is a tubular, metal mast as, for example, a tubular aluminum mast and has a pulley 14 at the top end to guide a halyard 16 attached to the head board or peak clew 18.

A rotatably mounted boom 20 is swingably supported on the mast 12 by a coupling 22 and is provided with a hand crank 24 to rotate the boorn. As the boom 12 is rotated, the foot of a sail 21 is wound about the boom 12, and the sail 21 is reefed continuously. The lullc 26 of the sail 21 is supportably engaged within a track 27 at the aft end of the mast 12, to display the triangular conliguration of the sail despite the degree of reeling.

While a boom crutch (not shown) may be used to support the end of the boom 20 in FIG. l, a topping lift 28 in FIG. 2 is coupled between the mast head and an eye 34 on the out haul end of the boom to hold the boom in the desired orientation even under extreme conditions of sail reeling without applying varied tension conditions on the leach of the sail.

In FIG. 2, there is shown to enlarged scale the roller 3 reeling boom 20 to which is attached the foot 29 of the sail 21. Most sail plans are attached to the booms by tack and clew cringles, such as illustrated by numerals 29 and 31, respectively. Alternatively, however, the entire foot 29 may be secured to the boom by a track and cleat arrangement in conventional manner.

Referring now specifically to the construction of the mast 12, it will be noted that the mast 12 is hollow having an integrally formed track 27 on the aft-facing vertical edge. The track 27 is defined by flanges 40 and 41 which almost entirelyencircle a rod 42 dellectably supported at the top. The flanges 40 and 41 terminate in ends spaced from each other to define a vertically extending slot 33 opening externally from a channel 35.

The rod 42 may be mounted at the top of the mast 12 by a bolt 46, FIG. 3, extending downwardly through a flange 44 covering the track 27. The rod 42 may be constructed of metal or plastic and is free-hanging within the channel 35, terminating at the lower end of the track 27 as shown in FIG. 5.

The luff 26 of the sail 21 is providedwith a sleeve 48 extending the length thereof. The sleeve may be formed by stitching a separate sleeve to the sail or, preferably, by folding over a portion of the sail material itself, as best seen in FIG. The diameter `of the sleeve is greater than the diameter of the rod 42, and the rod diameter is so selected with respect to the slot provided between the flanges 40 and. 41 that, as the sail is inserted in the channel 35 with the sleeve encircling the rod 42, the diameter of the rod plus the sleeve will prevent movement of the sail straight out of the track under the forces encountered during sailing, because the edges of the flanges 40 and 41 define a slot only big enough for the sail alone.

A fitting 50, FIG. 3, is attached at the top of the mast 12 to carry a bearing 52 for a pulley 54 over which the halyard 16 passes. The halyard 16 is coupled to the head board or peak clew 41 `of the sail 21, passes up and v over the pulley 54, down the center of the mast 12, and

is taken out through an -opening (not shown) at the bottom for handling and cleating. A cap 56 shields the pulley 54 and interior of the mast 12.

Thus, in operation of a sail plan in accordance with the present invention, the sleeve 48 on the luff 26 of the sail 21 is merely inserted within the channel 35 with the sleeve 48 encircling the lower end of the free-hanging rod 42. The gated lower end of the track, FIG. 5, facilitates insertion.

The sail 21 then is hauled up by the halyard 16. The

Y sleeve 48 is expanded by the rod 42 to hold-the lull? within the channel 35 in a positive manner. However, as the sail is reefed by counter-rotation of the boom 20, the sleeve slides off the rod 42, collapses and folds readily.

Thus, as the boom 20 rotates, it picks up sail smoothly, since the bulk of the normal luff bolt-ropes is not encountered.

A bolt-rope in the leach does not interfere since adjacent turns of the leach do not overlay previously laid turns. Thus, continuous reeling is possible without introducing strains on the bias of the sail for which sails are not designed andwhich adversely allect the airfoil configuration of the sail.

The boom must be capable of rotation, locking to rotated position, and swinging about the mast. A typical boom suitable for such use is shown in U.S. Patent No. 2,119,475 and is identified generally by the numeral 22 lin FIG. 2.

The rod 42 may be constructed from extruded plastic stock having a reasonably high resistance to deformation, or it may be constructed of soft metal. It is preferred that the track and rod be reasonably soft to avoid chaling of the sleeve as it is clamped therebetween.

In some embodiments, it is desirable that the rod be flexibly mounted if the rod material does not provide the desired bend to evenly clamp the sail throughout the .entire length Q 1.1.1@ @recited sail. In such applications, the

4 embodiments shown in FIG. 6 may advantageously be employed in which the rod 42 is coupled to an eye 53 which is suspended from a hook 60 bolted to the flange 44.

In some applications, it will be found somewhat less expensive to omit the flange at the mast head and to support the rod directly by the track. In such instances, the rod 42 is formed with a flattened end 64, as shown in FIG. 7, and a bolt 65.is passed laterally through the flanges 40 and 41 -of the track 27. The bolt 66 extends through an aperture in the flat end of the rod 42, thereby to flexibly support the rod allowing movement of the rod to provide even clamping of the sleeve 48 at the lutf ed-ge of the sail.

This invention may be variously modified and embodied within the scope of the subjoined claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A rigging arrangement for a sail plan comprising:

a mast having means so that it may be supported vertically,

a track running vertically along the aft-facing side of said mast, said track having flanges extending in an encircling manner and terminating in edges to define a channel,

the terminating 'edges of said flanges being separated to define a narrow slot opening externally from said channel, and

a rod,

means for mounting s aid rod in said channel so that a sleeve of a diameter to encircle said rod and extending along the luff of a sail can pass over one end of said rod and along said rod,

whereby the diameter of said rod and the encircling sleeve of the sail securely aliixes the lulf of said sail to said mast.

2. A rigging arrangement in accordance with claim 1 which includes a halyard, a pulley allixed to the head of said mast over which said halyard runs, and one end o-f said halyard being coupled to the head board of said sail.

3. A `rigging arrangement in accordance with claim 1 which includes a boom, said boom being rotatably coupled to said mast, the foot of said sail being affixed to said boom so that upon rotation thereof, the sail will Wrap around said boom thereby to permit reeling of said sail in continuous manner, said sleeve on the lull edge of said sail exiting from said track and winding on said boom without creating an unduly thickened area.

4. A sail rig comprising:

a sail having a foot and a luff edge,

a sleeve formed along said luff edge and extending substantially the length thereof,

a vertically extending mast,

a horizontally extending boom deflectably coupled at one end thereof to said mast,

said boom being rotatably mounted on said mast,

said mast being provided with a vertically extending track extending substantially the length thereof, said track being `defined by spaced apart, parallel encircling flanges,l

said flanges being arcuately shaped to define a narrow slot between the edges and a wider channel inwardly `from said edges,

a rod extending along said channel,

means for mounting said rod in said channel so that said flanges partially encircle said rod and so that said sleeve can pass over the end of said rod adjacent said boom and along said rod,

the sleeve on the lull end of said sail encircling said rod,

the diameter of said rod and the sleeve thereon being greater than the slot between the flange edges to hold the luff end of the sail within said track, and

the foot end of said sail being coupled to said rotatably mounted boom so that rotation of the boom continuously reefs said sail.

5. A rigging arrangement in accordance with claim 1 5 in which said mounting means includes a flange aixed to the mast head and a bolt extending through said ange and secured to the other end of said rod, whereby said rod is deectably suspended Within said channel.

6. A rigging arrangement in accordance with claim 1 5 in which said mounting means includes a. flange affixed to the mast head, an eye bolt secured to said flange, a second eye bolt coupled to the other end o'f said rod, said eye bolts being interlocked to deectably suspend said rod Within said channel,

7. A rigging arrangement in accordance with claim 1 in which said mounting means includes a bolt extending through said rod and said anges.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 361,049 4/1887 Campbell 114-112 X 1,675,081 6/1928 Andrade 114-106 2,488,918 11/1949 Manchester 114-1l5 3,026,121 3/1962 Ellam 114-102 X FOREIGN PATENTS 7,843 1911 Great Britain.

MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner.

T. M. BLIX, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A RIGGING ARRANGEMENT FOR A SAIL PLAN COMPRISING: A MAST HAVING MEANS SO THAT IT MAY BE SUPPORTED VERTICALLY, A TRACK RUNNING VERTICALLY ALONG THE AFT-FACING SIDE OF SAID MAST, SAID TRACK HAVING FLANGES EXTENDING IN AN ENCIRCLING MANNER AND TERMINATING ITS EDGES TO DEFINE A CHANNEL, THE TERMINATING EDGES OF SAID FLANGES BEING SEPARATED TO DEFINE A NARROW SLOT OPENING EXTERNALLY FROM SAID CHANNEL, AND A ROD, MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID ROD IN SAID CHANNEL SO THAT A SLEEVE OF A DIAMETER TO ENCIRCLE SAID ROD AND EXTENDING ALONG THE LUFF OF A SAIL CAN PASS OVER ONE END OF SAID ROD AND ALONG SAID ROD, WHEREBY THE DIAMETER OF SAID ROD AND THE ENCIRCLING SLEEVE OF THE SAIL SECURELY AFFIXED THE LUFF OF SAID SAIL TO SAID MAST. 